Vlad Plasmius was in the ghost zone library, looking for something. He had found nothing helpful in the real world, so he came here. Vlad was a middle-aged ghost with sharp, cruel features and hair sweep up into two pompadours that resembled a pair of horns. He was dressed in loose white pants and tunic of a vaguely Russian style and a long white cloak with a bright red lining. The only thing to be heard was the Ghost Writer muttering to himself about revenge or some such nonsense. Vlad put back a book and sighed, another dead end. "No matter what I do, I just can't find anything!" Vlad sat back in a chair and thought to himself. "I need an assistant, a lackey. Someone competent" He closed his eyes and tried to think of another idea. Suddenly Vlad heard a ghost teleport behind the shelf next to him and saw a long, narrow tail tipped with a ball of spectral fire whisk out of sight.
Vlad got up and looked where the ghost was, but it had left. "What was that?"He thought. He was about to leave but a book caught his eye. He grabbed it off the shelf. The title was printed in fancy gold colors: "The Ultimate Enemy." Vlad's interest was piqued by this. He opened it and saw a picture of a ghost about 6 foot tall. He was very muscular yet Vlad could have sworn he looked familiar. "Why is Daniel's logo on him?" He read the profile:
'This ghost was a fusion of two different ghosts. He is without emotions or regret. This ghost was sealed away by a powerful, yet, younger ghost. He is in the protection of Clockwork, the master of time. Clockwork's tower is located in the center of the Ghost Zone. If you release this ghost, named Dan Phantom, he might kill you. The only way to keep him from killing you is to release him in a canyon 100 miles southeast of the tower.'
Vlad close the book and smiled. "This looks interesting." He took off for the center of the Ghost Zone.
Deeper into the Ghost Zone, a fight was happening, between a powerful ghost and a thermos. In the tower of the master of time, a trapped ghost groaned at his seemingly millionth failed attempt at freedom. He rested against the dents he had made in his prison, a Fenton Thermos. "Why won't this thing break?" he asked to the ticking sound of the gears and clocks that filled the room. "I've been in this thing for how knows how long, and it's still standing between me and my revenge."
"That's the point, Dan" the master of time said, having listened in on his captive.
"Clockwork, what are you doing now? I'm still here, aren't I? So, go away before I get loose and rip you apart." Clockwork just floated to the gear shaped table the thermos stood on and turned it upside down. "Crap, not again." the ghost said. He didn't have the patience or space to be like this."Let me out!" Dan yelled. He rammed the Fenton thermos, making it wobble.
"No. Now be quiet. I need to keep an eye on the future and it does not involve you giving me a headache." Clockwork said.
"Whoa, wait, what's wrong with the future?" Dan asked, still squirming to get up right.
Clockwork smiled and said. "Well, since you're out of the picture a new ultimate enemy has appeared to challenge Danny Phantom."
"What do you mean, Clockwork?"
"There is someone out there more evil then you."
"Who could be worse then me?" Dan asked.
Clockwork rolled his eyes and waved his staff towards the screen. "Be quiet and listen, maybe you'll learn something."
The screen buzzed and Dan put his ear to the wall of his prison. The screen showed humans running and screaming. A ghost ray was fired at the humans and a ghost laughed, but it wasn't the deep voice that Dan thought he would hear, but a girl's voice. "Run, you humans, from Scar—Scar Phantom! Hahahaha!"
She blasted more innocent people and laughed. Dan heard the rumble of tanks as soldiers surrounded her. "Hands up, ghost girl!" one said.
She put them up and said sarcastically "Oh, no." She smiled and released a huge ghostly wail. It instantly pushed all the soldier back and swept all the tanks away. She smiled again and took off from the rubble that was a city.
Clockwork turned the screen back to normal. "A girl replaced me? No way in hell!" Dan leaned back in the thermos to sulk. Clockwork looked at the screen and saw Vlad speeding towards them. Clockwork smiled and turned to Dan. "Well, It looks like your old friend Vlad wants to visit. I'll leave you two alone." Clockwork disappeared. A few seconds of complete silence was broken when Vlad kicked the door open.
"I hope this is the right place, because the last three castles I burst into were very rude." Vlad walked around the clock tower, looking. "Where is that ghost, what was his name?" Vlad took out the same book that had pointed him to this place. Dan was listening in and chuckled. Vlad flipped through the book and found the page. "Dan Phantom? That's his name? Strange. He has the same last name as Daniel." Dan was just as surprised as Vlad. "Well, if he's as powerful as this book says he is, I'll let him out."
Dan smiled at the thought of freedom. Vlad put the book away and continued his search. Dan had to think "Would I really kill an innocent old man? Of course!" Dan rammed the thermos to get Vlad attention. Vlad turned to the noise and saw the rocking thermos. He walked over to the it and tapped it on it's side.
"Is something in there?" Vlad asked.
"Yes. Who are you?" Dan answered, trying and nearly failing at sound innocent.
"I am Vlad Plasmius. My research led me here. Tell me, ghost, are you the one called Dan Phantom?"
"I am. Why do you want to know?"
"I am looking for someone to be my assistant. You sound very strong and able, but you also sound like someone who might kill me." Vlad looked at the dents in the thermos Dan had put in there and muttered to himself, "This thing is ridiculous."
"I am that kind of person." Dan said with a smile. He knew how Vlad's mind worked, since he was a fusion of the ghostly halves of Vlad and Danny Fenton from a time line now extinct due to the meddling of Clockwork and a younger Danny Phantom . "You should know that I am lock up in this thing for wanting to kill a certain man called Jack Fenton."
"Ah, a man after my own heart. That's good enough for me, but still," Vlad said, looking at the book again. "I better do what the book says, just in case." Vlad grabbed the thermos and left for the canyon.
Danny was at lunch with his friends at the Nasty Burger. Tucker Foley was wolfing down a burger while Sam Manson was eating a salad. Danny wasn't eating instead, he was battling sleep. "Danny, what's wrong? Why are you so tired?" Sam asked, finishing her salad. Sam was a pretty girl hiding inside goth clothes and make-up.
"I have a feeling the future version of me might be up to something and I can't sleep."
"You know something, we should give him a name so we don't have to keep calling him 'that evil future version of you' " Tucker said, swallowing half of his burger. Tucker was an African-American who loved electronics. A PDA beside his tray counted down the minutes until they had to return to school.
"I guess your right, Tuck. Got any ideas?" Danny asked, barely able to stay wake.
"Well since he is Danny's future self, maybe we should call him Dan," Sam suggested. "So if we talk about him we can call him formally."
"Good idea!" Tucker said and stuffed the rest of the burger in his mouth.
"And Danny can check on Dan and Clockwork in the Ghost Zone," Sam finished, but Danny didn't hear because he was face down in a plate of fries, having lost his battle against sleep.
Tucker eyed the spilled fries hungrily. "Do you think he would mind?" he asked Sam.
After school Danny, Tucker and Sam went to Danny's home, a large brownstone building with a sign, Fenton Works, out front. Jack Fenton, Danny's father, was in the living room working on a new invention that looked like a wide wrist watch. Danny walked past him and asked, "What's that, Dad?"
"Son, this is the Fenton Specter Negator. It shuts down a ghost's power as long as it wears it, no matter how powerful." Jack Fenton was an enormous man, tall, broad shouldered and more than a little over-weight. He wore an orange jumpsuit of his own design with black collar, boots and cuffs. White streaked the edges of his hair and a gleam - either of madness or genius twinkled in his eyes.
"I invented a locking system so a ghost can't get it off, no matter how hard it tries." Jack held up a key shaped like an 'F' "This key is the only way to get it off. Wait till I tell Vladdie!" He ran to the phone in the kitchen.
"When will your Dad realizes Vlad is trying to kill him?" Sam asked.
Danny and Tucker looked at her and said in unison: "Never going to happen."
They went downstairs to the lab and Danny turned into his ghost half and walked to the portal.
The Ghost Portal was a large hexagonal frame mounted into the lab's far wall. Heavy steel plates covered it most of the time. When they were withdrawn eerie green energies flickered across the Portal's entrance.
"Danny," Sam said "Put on the Fenton Phones and tell us everything, ok?"
"Ok, When I was five I really wanted a puppy but my parents..."
"About the trip!" his friends said.
"Oh, ok. Well, bye for now." Danny jumped into the portal.
Danny flew thought the Ghost Zone for a while, until he saw Clockwork's tower in the distance. He walked in and saw that Clockwork was gone. He saw the big screen was set to show events of a few minuets ago. On the screen he saw Vlad leave with a dented thermos. He turned on the Fenton Phones and said "Ah, guys, we have a problem."
"What is it, Dude?" Tucker responded.
"Vlad took Dan!" Danny said frantically.
Danny watched Vlad say "I need to go to a canyon 100 miles southeast from here. Don't know why, but I will."
"I have to stop Vlad before he opens that thermos." Danny said. He took off at top speed.
Clockwork peeked in from behind a door and smiled "All according to plan."
Vlad flew the 100 miles it said in the book. He expected a temple, some ancient building, or at least an alter but all he saw was a very large canyon. "Why I must release Dan here I'll never know, but this book hasn't lied yet." Vlad landed in the middle of the canyon and looked around. Nothing was special except a growing feeling of dread. It kind of creeped Vlad out. There were a few caves around, but nothing else.
Danny found the canyon and saw Vlad in there. He landed in front of Vlad. "Vlad, what ever you do, don't open that thermos."
"And how do you know what's in this, Daniel?"
"Because I put him in there. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you would do something like this."
"And what are you going to do, Daniel?"
"Vlad, if you don't put that down, I will fight you."
"Sure you will." Vlad unscrewed the top.
"Vlad, no!" Vlad pushed the release button. "Nooo!"
Dan turned to smoke and left the thermos. The red smoke took shape and Dan appeared. He turned to Vlad and blasted him. Danny took cover behind a boulder and called his friend "Guys, Dan's free!"
Dan reached over the boulder, grabbed the Phones and crushed it. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."
He got ready to attack but Danny twisted around and kicked him in the stomach. Dan dropped him with a grunt, then turned and fired several power ectoplasmic blasts after Danny, knocking great holes in the stone walls of the canyon.
Dan in turn was knocked to the ground by a blast from Vlad who had recovered from his attack. "Now see here, this partnership is not going to go far if you keep attacking your employer" Vlad said pompously.
"Eat dirt!" Dan snarled and started to raise a two-fisted plasma attack but a voice called out to them, "Who goes there?" Dan turned and saw a youthful, five foot tall ghost.
"Who wants to know?" Dan asked.
The ghost flew towards them and they got a better view. He was 14 year old. He looked just like Danny. He had messy black hair, most of it fell in his face. His jumpsuit had a flat red cape. The body part of the jumpsuit was white with black gloves, and boots with a red collar that was pointed up. Danny glanced at Vlad then back at the boy. They were indeed wearing the same outfit, but for his stature his was more like Danny with Dan's eyes. "I asked you nicely," the ghost boy said, "now name yourself, ghost, or else."
"Here's a hint." Dan said and tried to blast him, but the young ghost jumped out of the way. The ghost crouched down and tackled Dan sending him flying into Danny and Vlad. Dan got back up and tried to punch the ghost but he just dodged easily. "Hold still!" Dan yelled.
"Make me, stranger."
Dan stepped back and let loose his ghostly wail. The ghost was flung back against the canyon wall and fell to the ground. Dan was about to punch him, but a loud roar echoed through the canyon. The roar caused an avalanche that piled on Dan, burying him.
The ghost boy looked worried, even scared. Dan turned immaterial and flew through the rocks. The ghost looked at Dan with anger.
"Now you've done it. You woke the master!" He yelled. The ghost reached into a pocket on his belt and pulled out three small boxes.
"What are you, the box ghost?" Danny quipped. Dan had almost forgot about Danny. He flew over to Danny and grabbed him.
"At least I can get my revenge," Dan said.
"Rule one: Never lose sight of your opponent," The ghost boy yelled and threw the three boxes at their feet. The box tops opened and a net grabbed each of the three and pulled them back inside one of the boxes, separately, much like the Fenton Thermos. The ghost walked over and picked up the boxes, tossed them up and caught them. He smiled, revealing fangs and walked to the cave the roar came from.
Inside the boxes wasn't as bad as the Thermos. It was just like a small room, but that didn't stop Dan from trying to break out. Eventually he tired himself out, and he sat down to rest. Danny and Vlad had heard the racket Dan caused and stop their own struggling to listen. "All tired out, Dan?" Danny asked.
"Shut up," Dan said, still catching his breath. "Now you know how I felt when you shoved me it that damn tube."
"Don't remember the thermos being this roomy."
"All of you, shut up!" The ghost outside commanded.
"Who are you?" Vlad asked.
"I would tell you, but you never answered my question," He replied.
"I'm Danny Phantom," Danny offered, "the 40 year old is Vlad Plasmius, and unfortunately, the 24 year old was supposed to be me when I grew up. He's called Dan Phantom."
"The master will be interested in that information." The ghost was walking down the canyon towards the cave where the roar that started the avalanche came from..
"Where are you taking us?" Dan asked.
"To the one you woke up."
"Why are you so upset? Did I wake up your mommy or something?"
"She's not my mother, but she is a veteran of the greatest war of all time, and she is your superior."
"She? No girl in the world could beat me."
"You have no idea what she's capable of."
"Will you tell us your name now?" Danny asked.
"It's Julian Plasmius."
"Did he say Plasmius?" Vlad asked.
The ghost entered a huge chamber fulled with bones. The ghost kneeled and laid the boxes in a row in front of a 15 feet tall rock over looking the ground below.
On the rock was a huge, black, scaled creature resembling a lion . The beast was over 8 feet tall and about 16 feet long with a thin tail tipped with white fire. Her fiery mane was pitch black and it flew around her neck and down her back that was lining her back were sharp spines. Her thin body didn't show it had gone through much. The only noticeable evidence of her battles was the scar across her left yellow eye. Dan, Danny, and Vlad all wanted to know what was going on but was blocked from seeing by the metal of the boxes. The beast was playing with a mouse in her giant paw talking to it in a growling voice.
"I woke up hungry and here you are," the monster said, "though you're barely enough to whet my appetite. If I eat you, you'll never see your home again, an emotion I'm all too familiar with!" The monster sighed. She was about to eat it when she noticed Julian kneeling before her. "Julian!" she called, tossing the mouse aside, "where'd you run off to?" the monster asked as the mouse splat against the wall and fell in a daze off the rock.
"Master, I heard intruders while you slept." the servant answered.
"Were the intruders the ones that woke me up?"
"Yes, I have found the one responsible for waking you." He pushed Dan's box up."This one used the Ghostly Wail."
"Pretty strong attack for a common ghost." the creature muttered. The monster jumped down from her perch and the sheer force of her landing opened a crack in the ground, letting trapped steam shoot up at her armored underside.
Julian got up and stepped back as the master sniffed the boxes. First Vlad's, "Some humanity, some evil. I can tell he would do bad things but (sniff) I can tell age has set in. Something familiar about that smell, but I can't quite place it." Vlad pouted at that. Next was Danny. "Ah, I can tell this one is full of emotions. That's good for a young fighter.(sniff) This boy is full of potential and headed for great things." Lastly was Dan. One sniff and she gasped. "I know that stench. It's pure evil."
"Thank you," Dan said. "wait, stench?"
"He might be as evil as me and there's only one ghost that's that evil. Finally I have found him. Julian, let them out. I wish to fight him."
Julian bowed and grabbed a key from his belt. He unlocked all three boxes. The three materialized in a puff of smoke and before Dan saw were he was, the master attacked.
The giant monster rammed Dan into the wall. He slid and fell in a pile of bones. The beast didn't wait for him to get up. She ripped at his chest with her five razor-sharp claws. Dan put his hand on his chest and saw he was bleeding a green ooze. The master breathed deeply and let out the same roar that caused the avalanche. The cave shook as the waves of ectoplasm hit both the walls.
Dan, Danny, and Vlad, were sent them flying to the middle of the canyon. When Dan opened his eyes he saw two enormous fangs slowly descending. Dan bounced to his feet, found that he was standing on the monsters lower jaw. With his hands he grabbed the upper fangs, forcing her mouth open. He had to pry her jaws open to keep himself safe. Suddenly the monster peeled off a duplicate to yell to Julian. "Get the thermos! I've waited too long to find him. I'm not letting him get away!"
Julian teleported somewhere and back. His master turned to him and Dan saw the thermos. "Not again!" Julian unscrewed the thermos and pointed it at Dan. He disappeared into the thermos. Julian threw the thermos at the monster and she caught it in her jaws.
She was about to swallow when a clock face appeared hanging in mid-air. The hands of the clock raced around the dial. When they reached twelve the clock vanished. There floated the master of time. "Spit him out, Phantom!"
The monster gave him a look and opened her mouth letting the thermos fall. It landed on the release button. Dan was released but not dry.
"Apparently the thermos is not water, or slobber proof," Danny said.
"Impeccable timing," Vlad said astounded.
Dan lay covered with drool, and after wiping off his face, he started ringing out his cape. The monster, or Phantom as Clockwork called her, looked at Dan with vengeance.
She turned to Clockwork and circled him slowly as she spoke."Well, well, If it isn't Clockwork descending from on high to mingle with a criminal."
Clockwork changed from child to man as he always did. "I came to secure Dan. If you'd please." Phantom looked at Julian. Julian shot a ghost ray near the dried off Dan and the ray turned into a rope. It wrapped tightly around Dan and dragged him next to Clockwork. "Also you said you had something to show me that was worth my time."
"Of course. Now I remember. Anything to get back to my proper time." Phantom wiggled her nose under Dan and tossed him into the sky. Dan landed on her back and rolled down to her tail, somewhat dizzy. "Right this way."
"What about them, master?" Julian asked. He was pointing at Danny and Vlad.
"They will follow." She answered. Danny caught up to Clockwork.
"Why do you trust her? Didn't you see what she did? What if she tries..."
"Compared to what else she has done, that was nothing." Clockwork said gloomily "Besides, I have that which she wants."
They followed Phantom into a cave. Inside was a white, state-of-the-art lab. Danny saw a small clear tube on a central table. The tube was the same size as the Fenton Thermos only with a grey band around the middle with a key hole in it. He also saw Vlad fiddle with some junk lying around. He smiled as the device shocked Vlad, sending him jump back in pain.
"What's that?" Clockwork asked pointing at the tube.
"What you're here for." She dropped Dan on the ground and walked over to the tube. "That device will let you keep a better eye on him."
Clockwork examined it closely and put it back on the table. "If you'd please." he said. Phantom rolled her eyes and turned to Julian. He walked to Dan, grabbing the tube on the way. He took the key out of his belt again and opened it in half. He also grabbed a normal Thermos and unscrewed the top off. Julian pointed the thermos at Dan.
Once Dan was in the thermos, Julian put the top of the thermos into the bottom half of the clear tube and pressed the release button on the thermos . Red smoke poured in the clear tube. Julian quickly dropped the thermos and slammed the top of the clear tube on. When the smoke cleared there stood Dan. Dan was startled when seeing himself smaller then everyone else. He gave the tube a punch but it didn't do anything. Julian set the tube back on the table and walked to the side of his boss. "There. Now are you happy?" Phantom said.
Clockwork smiled and said "No. There's two other things I want you to do, Scar."
Scar snarled, "why should I? Haven't I done enough for you?"
"If you want to return to your own time, you will do as I ask!" Clockwork ordered. "One, I want you to get out of that form. You're not, you know, really a monster."
Scar bared her fangs and slowly started to shrink. Her spines sank into her body. The fiery mane whitened and retreated to just behind her head. A patten of white appeared around her body. A wave sprouted from her shoulders turned into a red cape. Her paws shrank and turned red. Danny was starring and saw on her chest appear a design. Her long thin tail disappeared. Scar stood on her back legs and shrank till she was just a little girl shorter then Danny.
Her combat boots were blood red except for the small white skull and crossbones designs near the pointed top. Her red cape was torn and ripped on the bottom. Her white flaming hair was held up in a ponytail. Her pale greenish-blue face had only one flaw, the same scar over her left green eye that the beast she was had. Her clothes had a grey X over her whole body and on her back. A white 'D' with a grey 'P' inside it was in the center of the 'X'. The triangle around her neck, her collar and her gloves were red. She had two white belts, one straight across and one hung sideways on her hips. Her deep green eyes stared at Danny and saw Danny was staring at her. "What are you looking at?"
"What's that on your chest?" Danny asked.
"My logo."
"But that's my logo," Danny sputtered. "Why do you have my logo on your uniform?"
Scar ignored him. She turned around to Clockwork. "And number two?"
"To get that which you want, I want you, Vlad and Danny watch over Dan for a week."
"What!" Everyone in the room yelled at the same time. "No way!"
"Way" Scar said sadly. "We'll do it."
Vlad said to her face "I will not live with these fools for one day much less a week!"
The lights dimmed and a fierce wind surrounded Scar. A whirlwind blew around her and the smoke from her hands whipped through the wind. Scar looked them straight in the eyes and they saw her green eyes were bright red with anger.
"If we don't do this I will never go home and if I lose this chance I'll slit all your throats and send your bodies to the fiery depths of hell!" Danny and Vlad backed up to the wall.
"Ok! Ok! We'll do it!" Danny yelled over the roar of the wind. The wind calmed down and Scar felled on her knees. Danny ran and helped her up.